You Win Some
by Sully-van
Summary: Anne had promised herself that she wouldn't date anymore girls from her town... Until Monkey D. Lucy transferred in and began messing with Anne's head without even knowing it. Fem!Ace/Fem!Luffy


**Notes/Warnings:** This... This is probably the cheesiest thing I've ever written by a long shot. It's also my longest oneshot by roughly 3k words. I can't believe I finished it in gen, not to mention in time for Valentine's Day (*wipes imaginary tear*)

Both Ace and Luffy are genderbent in this fic, because there is a severe lack of fem!acelu obviously. THIS IS REALLY CHEESY. I'm kind of sketchy on the quality of this too, but I hope you enjoy it because I worked pretty hard on it ;w;

Don't be afraid to point out any mistakes you see!

Anne: 18-19 / Lucy: 15

* * *

><p><strong>You Win Some<strong>

* * *

><p>'Cute' was the first word that came to mind when Anne first saw Lucy.<p>

The first time had been an accident; the delinquent in her leather jacket had turned around to have a few choice words with the asshole that had bumped into her and her brother, but froze when she saw her.

She wasn't a familiar face, but Anne wouldn't be forgetting it anytime soon because she was absolutely gorgeous, and Anne wasn't even using the term loosely.

She was tinier than the average girl but had curves to spare and a well-endowed chest. She was tan with round cheeks and long hair that fell to her hips. And her smile was even brighter than city lights as she laughed jubilantly at something a smoking blond teen said.

Anne didn't know she was staring until her adoptive brother put his hand on her shoulder and physically shook her from her trance.

"Anne?" Sabo asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity but resigned in a way; being used to his older sister staring at passing girls that caught her eye. And really, that wasn't exactly far from the truth. "What's up?"

The delinquent raised her head - not by much, but had Sabo always been taller than her - and meets her brothers eyes. "Ah."

She didn't say another word until they parted ways for their next classes.

"Been a while since I had a girlfriend, huh?" She didn't meet her brother's eyes, stuffing her hands in her pockets but she still felt Sabo's knowing gaze on her.

"I thought you were done dating girls from this town?" Sabo drawled. It was rhetorical if anything and he didn't expect an answer to a question he already knew the answer to. Anne could tell because she knew Sabo just as well as he knew her. Growing up together just did that.

Anne shrugged her shoulders and adjusted her leather jacket with a little more flamboyance than necessary.

"We'll see."

And Sabo couldn't say anything to that. But if she hadn't stalked off, she would have seen the fond, exasperated look on her brother and best friends face.

* * *

><p>She was smoking a cigarette behind the school library when she first met Lucy.<p>

The girl and her name had spread throughout the school like wildfire.

Her name was Lucy - Anne personally thought it was a cute name for a cute girl - and according to most students, she was the worst delinquent hell raiser the school had seen since Anne had enrolled.

In her first three weeks she had already gotten in a fight with the asshole captain of the swim team, Arlong, and Anne had heard rumors that her sudden transfer to Grand Line High was because she had beat up the principle's son, the principal, and every other faculty member at her last school.

Anne didn't know what to believe for the rumor but she knew about the Arlong situation and that Lucy had beat up the crazy captain because he had harassed one of her new friends that Anne knew, Nami.

And really, Anne could respect that.

It made her only want to meet the mysterious, gorgeous girl even more.

"Oh, hey!" A voice chirped, making Anne look up in its direction. She didn't bother to crush her cigarette even at the chance it might be a teacher. "Can I hide here?"

Speak (or in this situation, think) of the devil and he shall come.

Lucy was slightly winded, as if she had run quickly.

"Knock yourself out." Anne said, slowly looking the girls outfit up and down.

She wore another tight-fitting shirt that hugged her curves and accentuated her chest. The skirt she wore was short and showed off her long, smooth looking legs. Her long, out of control hair all moves to one side when the small teen cocks her head to the side cutely in confusion.

"Why would I knock myself out? I can't hide that way. That's silly." The girl pouted childishly and Anne couldn't help but grin a little.

"Don't worry about it, it's just a phrase. You're Lucy, right?"

Said girl quickly nodded her head in agreement. "Yup! You're… Ace? Une? Anna? I dunno, but I've heard about you! You cause trouble for Smokey and you wear a cool jacket, shishishi!" Lucy giggled and seemed to bounce in place at the idea of someone else causing trouble for their easily frustrated principle.

"Portgas D. Anne, pleasure to meet you." Anne said almost cocky, sticking out one hand toward Lucy and throwing the butt of her cigarette on the floor. The delinquent mentally files the nickname 'Smokey' in her brain, until the right moment came. Lucy excitedly took Anne's slightly bigger hand in her own and shook it.

Lucy seemed to do a lot of things excitedly and Anne found that it added to the cuteness she could tell Lucy naturally possessed.

"I'm not the only one causing trouble for Ol'Smokey, or so I hear."

Lucy was a bit slow on the uptake but understood what Anne meant a moment later.

"Shishishi, thanks! I've known Smokey since I was little, so I'm hiding from him now! Grandpa told him to watch me but Smokey always takes everything so seriously!" Lucy whined, but Anne didn't find it annoying like a young child's whining. If anything, she agreed. Their principle, Smoker, really needed to calm down or get laid or something.

Of course, he didn't appreciate when Anne had voiced her opinion out to him earlier in the year and ended up throwing one of the rocks he had in his office at her head.

She told what he had done to Lucy and the smaller teen laughed so joyously and cutely that Anne couldn't help but mentally pat herself on the back in self-satisfaction.

"So," Anne said, pulling another cigarette out of her jacket and lighting it up, offering a hit to Lucy but getting a decline. "whats this I hear about you beating up everyone at your old school?"

"I didn't beat up everyone! Only the meanie principal and his jerk son. And the ugly counselor lady who tried to get me into a place with weird spongy walls. And all the other jerks that harassed Coby."

"Hm, that your boyfriend?" Anne asked after hearing that last name. Other than the last question it left, it was a rather entertaining story.

"Nah, ain't got a boyfriend. Don't want one. Coby's my friend, but he's kinda dumb, so I had to punch him a lot."

"Did punching him help?" Anne asked, smirking. She was probably a little too pleased at the fact that Lucy didn't want a boyfriend.

"Nah, not really. Well, maybe. When I left he seemed to get what I was saying!" Lucy said, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

Anne was about to say something, when the loud, gruff, and familiar voice of their principal cut her off.

"Strawhat!" He growled, coming into view. His face was bright red and he was clearly fuming in anger. Smoke almost seemed to be pouring from his ears. Anne could only barely just bite down her laugh. "…And Portgas. Don't tell me you two are friends?"

The gray-haired principal spat out the last word with barely masked horror.

"Somethin' like that. What's got your panties in a twist today, Smokey?" Anne said, taking a hit of her cigarette. She knew the principal wouldn't say anything about her habit, considering that he was puffing on two cigars at once as he confronted the two teenaged girls. What a guy.

Smoker opened his mouth to respond to the eighteen year old, but Lucy cut him off with her giggles.

"Did Miss Hina have to reschedule your date again?"

Smoker's scowl deepened, a clear 'yes' to both teenagers.

"Wait, Smokey and Hina?! You're sayin' that he's actually gettin' some? And from _her_? She's a mega babe! Damn, Smokey! How'd you manage that?"

"You be quiet, Portgas!"

"He hasn't gotten any yet, shishishi."

"Why am I not surprised." Anne shook her head. "Hina does seem to like guys like you, so good luck tiger!"

Smoker looked like he was going to explode at that point, something that made warning lights start flashing in Anne's head. Lucy, however, seemed oblivious to his increasing anger.

Thinking quickly, Anne looked down at the non-existent watch on her wrist. "Oh, would you look at the time! Me and Lucy got an appointment. Seeya later, old man!"

Anne grabbed a confused Lucy by the wrist and started dragging her away quickly.

"Bye, Smokey!" Lucy called, getting the hint, as Smoker started chasing them again.

The girls, however, were faster than the man in uncomfortable looking suit. While they ran, the bell rang loudly throughout the school, but that didn't stop the girls from running, Anne's grip on Lucy's wrist, or the younger girl's laughs until they were outside of the school.

Leaning against a wall of a nearby alley with a slightly out of breath laugh, Anne ran a hand through her mid-back length hair. Lucy was pressed against the wall against from her; her chest heaving, a little more out of breath than Anne considering she had laughed the whole time.

"Think we lost 'im." Anne stated, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Yep! That was so fun!" Lucy chirped, grinning like a madman. The younger teenager paused, seemingly in thought."Y'know we make a good team! Wanna hang out some time?"

If Anne's "yes" was a little too eager, Lucy didn't say anything.

* * *

><p>Soon, it wasn't odd to see both Anne and Lucy hanging around the school and causing trouble together.<p>

Of course, a few students and faculty had strongly reacted when rumors of them being friends spread around school, some even wanting to call the SWAT Team so the situation could be properly dealt with.

Anne thought that it was amusing, if not a little overboard. Lucy, who was much more oblivious and innocent that Anne had thought, hadn't completely understood but laughed along anyways.

Sabo in particular thought it was hilarious and offered to call in himself.

No one would be forgetting the wrestling match the two siblings held on campus anytime soon.

It was only natural, of course, that Lucy became friends with Sabo, too. The two got along right off the bat, just like Anne and Lucy had. In a way, both siblings had taken the fifteen year old under their wings. Both of the teen's even affectionately gave Lucy a nickname: 'Lu.' Lucy became similarly attached to the siblings and she often started to visit Anne and Sabo's apartment.

By December, it was completely normal to see all three together around school and town.

* * *

><p>"You really like Lucy, don't you?" Sabo asked sipping on a beer, two weeks before Anne's nineteenth birthday.<p>

Anne choked on her own sip and, after a few seconds of coughing, turned to look at Sabo incredulously.

"What?!"

"The first time you saw her, you started talking about how its been a while since you've dated. It obvious that you like her, but you haven't made any move yet. Why?"

Anne swallowed and looked anywhere but at Sabo. That didn't stop her from feeling her brothers eyes on her.

"I dunno, I just don't want to rush it. I'm not gonna mess this up. She's oblivious so maybe its best if I don't do anything, y'know?"

The blond teen was quiet for a few seconds before he shook his head and sighed. Anne tried to swallow the feeling that welled up inside of her.

* * *

><p>Lucy shivered slightly as a cold breeze rolled by. When she had left her house early in the day, she had been in a rush and didn't bring a jacket. Not that she had thought that she would need it in the first place; when she had left earlier in the morning, it had been sunny and pretty warm for late December.<p>

It was really a difference from the dark skies and cold wind that accompanied Lucy as she walked home from hanging out with her friends.

Maybe she should have accepted Sanji, Franky, and Robin's offer to walk her home. Lucy loved talking to them and Sanji would probably have lent the younger teen his jacket, but she knew that the three lived in a different direction than she did. But she wasn't that far from her house anymore, so it wasn't really a big deal.

Lucy was just glad that she got to see her friends before she left on the Christmas family reunion thing that her grandpa was making her go on tomorrow. However, she hadn't been able to see Anne or Sabo before she left. Both teens knew that Lucy would be gone and said they would hang out before the teen left, but all three got busy so that hadn't happened.

It sucked that she had to go because she would be gone until after Anne's birthday on January 1st. Luckily, she had thought about it in advanced and had already given Anne her present; a bright orange hat with a string of red beads around the base. Anne had loved it and put it on right away.

Lucy grinned at the memory from a few days ago when she heard a grunt and someone falling to the ground. Curiously, the teen peeked into the alley the sound came from and automatically lit up at the familiar face.

"Anne!" She called out, beaming. Anne jumped when she heard her name called and turned to face Lucy. The younger teen automatically noted the blood dripping from Anne's quickly bruising nose and how her eyes looked angry. The anger, however, was soon replaced by something else that Lucy couldn't place. Lucy was pleased to notice that older teen's hat was hanging from her neck.

"Lucy?" Anne asked shocked. "What are you doing over here?"

"Ne, I'm supposed to ask that! You live on the other side of town, don't you?" Lucy said as she dug around her pockets for a tissue that she handed to Anne.

"Thanks." Anne wiped the blood, tilted her head, and held the tissue to her still bleeding nose. "I was visiting a friend and these assholes thought it would be a good idea to jump me. I taught them a lesson. You?"

Lucy giggled at Anne's cocky words, swaying in place and stuffing her hands back into her pockets. "I was going home, but I'm really glad that I ran into you!"

"You live around here?" This _was_ the nice area of the city and she guessed that it was only to be expected, seeing as Lucy's grandfather had a lot of money.

"Mmh, just a few streets away. My friends were gonna walk me home but I didn't let them!"

Anne laughed and winced slightly, touching her nose. "One of the assholes hit me in the nose when I was knocking out one of their buddies."

"Did it break?"

"Who knows. Probably, but it doesn't hurt that bad." Anne shrugged nonchalantly, taking the tissue away from her nose as the blood flow slowed. "C'mon, let's go."

Lucy cocked her head to the side. "Where are we going?"

"I'm walkin' you home. You can get away from your other friends, but not me. You got that?" Anne playfully poked Lucy in the chest, causing the fifteen year old to laugh.

"Okay! I wanted to see you before I left anyways!" Lucy said as they started walking from the alley and down the sidewalk.

"I wanted to see you too." Anne agreed, looking at Lucy. "Hey, where's your jacket?"

"Forgot it this morning."

Anne sighed and the distinct sound of clothing rustling followed it. "You're such a space case, Lu. Here, wear this."

Lucy stopped walking and looked down at the the leather jacket that Anne extended to her. "You sure? You gotta wear something too, don't you?"

"Nah, really take it. I can deal with the cold just fine. Don't want you gettin' sick, now do we."

"I've never been sick!"

Lucy boasted.

"Not surprised, I've heard that idiots don't get sick." Anne teased with a smirk.

Lucy pouted and sent Anne a half-hearted glare, taking the leather jacket from the eighteen year old anyways as they started walking again. It was kind of heavy when she slipped it on and longer on her than it was on Anne, but the warmth was instant, making Lucy sigh happily.

"This is really nice." Lucy said, holding the jacket closer to her. It smelled like Anne; fire, spice, kind of smokey, with an underlying sweetness that reminded Lucy of cherries.

Anne smiled at the younger girl and pat the top of her straw hat. "I'm glad you like it."

"It's really warm." Lucy hummed as they turned another corner. "Aww, we're here already."

"This is your house?" Anne asked with a raised eyebrow, looking at the large building. The house they faced was two-stories tall with large windows. One of the curtains was open giving Anne a good view of Lucy's living room. It looked normal; not fancy like Anne had expected. Sitting on one of several couches was an old man with scruffy hair and pajamas laughing hysterically at cartoons on the TV.

"Aww... Gramps is still awake." Lucy pouted, having hoped that her grandfather had been sleeping so she could maybe bring Anne inside for a little while.

"_That's_ your grandpa?" Anne asked with a raised eyebrow as the old man slapped his knee vigorously as he laughed loud enough for both teens to hear him from the front yard. She hadn't expected the man that Lucy didn't really along with... to act like _Lucy_.

"Yeah, he's really weird." Lucy began to shrug out of Anne's leather jacket, before the older teenager placed a hand on the younger girls shoulder, causing her to look up in confusion.

"Anne?"

"Take it with you on your trip. Y'know, as something to remember me by." Anne said, smoothly despite the warmth she felt on her face.

The way Lucy stared at her for a moment was unnerving but the younger girl smiles brightly and adjusts the jacket.

"I'll do that then!" Lucy said happily and suddenly wrapped her arms around Anne. "Thank you. I'll miss you while I'm gone."

Anne flushed and hesitated for a moment before hugging the shorter girl back. "Don't sweat it… I'll miss you too."

Lucy giggled and tightened her hold on Anne before letting go and starting to walk away.

When the fifteen year old reached the door, she turned around and smiled; it was as radiant as ever, causing Anne's heart to skip a beat.

"Y'know, it's impossible to forget about you Anne." Lucy's smile grew even brighter and she turned the doorknob. "I'll see you later! Thank you for your jacket!"

Anne only remembered to say "See you later" after the door closed behind Lucy.

She bit her lip and scratched at her flushed neck nervously.

Lucy was really something else.

* * *

><p>"Hi, can I stay here tonight?" Lucy asked the moment Anne opened the front door to her apartment.<p>

Anne stared for a second at the sight of the younger girl who stood at her door wearing a thin jacket, looked freezing, and had tiny flecks of white in her hair in the end of January. It had been about a week since Lucy had returned from her family trip and a snow storm had started shortly afterwards.

"Lucy, what the hell are you doing out in the snow this late?!" Anne nearly yelled, pulling the fifteen year old in and closing the door behind her. "Dude, you're freezing! Why were you out in the storm?"

"I had a fight with grandpa." And really, that was all Lucy had to say. Anne didn't need to hear anything else. It wasn't a secret to either Anne or Sabo that Lucy didn't really get along well with her grandfather.

"C'mon, we gotta warm you up." Anne pulled her inside, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to help her warm up. Lucy didn't hesitate to cuddle up to the nineteen year old. "Want some cocoa?"

Lucy nodded excitedly, her eyes shining. Anne laughed, but instead of leading the younger girl to the kitchen, she led Lucy to her room and started rustling through her drawers.

"Here," Anne handed her a large t-shirt and a pair of polka-dotted pajama pants. "Put these on and bring your clothes out when you're done."

Lucy nodded and watched Anne leave the room before looking around the room.

It was a nice room; painted red with posters on the walls, a full mattress by the window. It smelled like Anne, which made the fifteen year old smile before she shrugged out of her thin jacket.

Lucy did her best to ignore the sting on her upper arm when she moved, grabbing the hem of her shirt and pulling it up over her head, leaving her in just her bra and pants. Her damp hair felt cold on her bare back so she tied her thick hair up into a bun on the top of her head before she examined the hand shaped mark on her arm that was already bruising.

It hurt a bit, but she had experienced worse before. She ignored the pain and started to hum lightly out of tune as she undid her bra and slipped on the shirt that was large on her small frame, easily falling to her waist. Her pants came next and the plush pajama pants easily covered her toes, causing the teen to giggle.

She picked up her clothes, damp from the melted snow, and left Anne's room, walking to where she remembered the kitchen was.

A warm, sweet aroma assaulted her, causing her to smile and hum.

"You can put those in the dryer." Anne said a moment later, pointing to the appliance across the room, her cheeks pink.

_'Anne's cheeks are pink a lot,'_ Lucy mused as she turned the dryer on. '_She looks really cute.'_

"Here you go, Lu." Anne passed Lucy a mug of steaming hot cocoa. The older girl sat at the kitchen table as Lucy took a sip.

The younger girls eyes lit up as the warm beverage hit her tongue. "Annie this is so yummy!"

Anne's cheeks flushed. "Annie?"

Lucy nodded cutely after she took another sip, looking completely sure of herself as always. "Yeah! You call me 'Lu' so I wanna call you Annie!"

Anne took a long drink of her cocoa, trying to suppress the blush on her cheeks. She usually hated it when people called her 'Annie' but this was _Lucy_. "...You can call me Annie, but only you. Got it?"

Lucy nodded happily, focusing on her hot cocoa. Anne watched her from the corner of her eye. If the fight she had with her grandpa was serious enough for her to run away to Anne's, all away across town, it was odd that she was acting like herself. She understood that Lucy was weird in general, but still.

Anne, however, knew better by now than to press the subject.

"That was soooo good!" Lucy cheered, patting her stomach in satisfaction after she placed her empty mug on the table.

Anne smiled and took Lucy's glass as she stood up. Placing both empty mugs into the sink, she turned to face Lucy. "I'm glad. It's the last thing my mom ever taught me to make."

Lucy nodded in understanding, knowing about Anne and Sabo's mother who had passed away when the siblings were younger. "She made really yummy hot cocoa!"

"Yep, she was the best. Wanna go to bed?" Anne said, stretching her arms over her head.

Lucy nodded and stood up quickly, grabbing Anne's hand.

"You're such a dork." Anne chuckled as Lucy swung their hands back and forth like a metronome.

"Yeah, but you're friends with me!" Lucy stuck her tongue out.

Anne sighed in false sorrow. "True."

"Ne, is Sabo here?" Lucy asked, still holding Anne's hand as they entered Anne's room.

"Nah, he's out with his girlfriend Koala tonight. You'd like her, she's in college and she likes all of that stuff Sabo likes." Anne said, lifting the covers of her bed to let the smaller girl crawl in. "In you go."

Lucy finally let's go of Anne's hand and the loss of warmth was a shame, but its worth it in the end because when Anne flipped off the lights and crawled into the bed next to Lucy, an arm circled the younger girls waist. Lucy smiled widely and inched closer, wrapping her arms around Anne, who snorted in amusement.

She _had_ pegged Lucy as a cuddler.

Lucy squirmed and Anne let her as she pressed against Anne, making her feel warm in the cold weather of late January. The larger breasts pressed against her own were an added and completely welcomed plus that Anne enjoyed.

"So…" Lucy started a moment later, breaking the comfortable silence. "…do you have a boyfriend?"

"Hm? Nope, been single for a while but there's someone I'm interested in. I'm not into guys though."

"You aren't?" Lucy asked, curious.

"Nope, preferred girls since day one. What can I say, I'm a natural lady-killer. What about you?"

Lucy giggled softy before quieting down. "I don't really like boys or girls. I don't really care about stuff like that. If I like someone, I like someone. And I like someone a lot now, too."

Anne hummed and couldn't help but feel her stomach drop at the thought of Lucy being interested in someone already.

_'Tough break.'_

"What's the person you like, like?" She asked after a moment, wondering if she could figure out who the person was.

It took Lucy a moment to answer and Anne didn't miss the way Lucy's grip around her torso tightened a bit.

"…she's nice and sweet and she always makes me laugh. She's really pretty and I really like being with her because she's a lot of fun and likes adventure too. And she knows a lot and helps me when I need it. I don't think she knows I like her though."

Anne had to swallow after hearing Lucy described the girl she liked. It was clear to Anne that Lucy was completely in love with the girl she had described. Anne didn't have a clue who Lucy was describing. Her heart constricted painfully at the thought of Lucy with another person and she wished it didn't. She wished she kept her oath to stay away from dating because if she hadn't thrown it away, then she wouldn't be in love with a girl who loved someone else.

_'Give it up.'_ A small voice whispered to her._ 'She'll never like you back.'_ She squashed down the urge to listen to the voice.

She almost didn't hear Lucy's question. "Annie? What about the person you like? What are they like?"

Anne gulped and before she could stop herself, she spoke.

"She's absolutely gorgeous, inside and out. Never met another person like her and doubt I ever will meet anyone else like her. She… She looks at me like I'm a person, y'know? Not like I'm a worthless good for nothing. Could say a lot about her, but she's so great I doubt it'll do her any real justice." Anne whispered, trying her hardest not to get choked up. "Can't have her though."

It had been years since she had last gotten emotional like this. So many that she couldn't even remember the last time. She didn't wanna start crying now, in front of Lucy of all people.

Lucy could tell that Anne was getting upset, so she pulled the nineteen year old close, holding her tight in her limitless warmth. Slowly and in little whisper she began to speak.

"It's okay, Anne. If you need to cry, cry. I'm here. I'll always be here for you. You mean so much to me, I would never think of you like that."

Anne chuckled without humor and shook her head, trying her hardest to blink away incoming tears. Really, if Lucy even knew.

"Nah, its okay Lucy. Don't sweat it. Thanks though." She said, but despite her words she never pulled away from the younger teen. If anything, she unconsciously held her closer.

One of Lucy's small hands somehow reached over to pet her hair and Anne had the urge to tell her everything.

To tell Lucy that she loved her and that the past few months they spent together have been absolutely incredible. That Lucy was the first and last thing Anne thought of when she woke up and fell asleep. That she loved her but hadn't said anything because she desperatly doesn't want their friendship to be strained or broken because by now Anne treasured it just as much as she did her relationship with Sabo.

But she didn't say a word. Instead she sniffled and bit down on her lip.

She was weak. So, so weak. Never had she felt something so intense for another person and she let it get the better of her.

She was pathetic.

If Lucy felt something wet on her neck, she never mentioned it and Anne was grateful. After what seemed like an eternity, Anne shifted into a more comfortable place. She was still tangled up in Lucy, the younger girl still running a soothing hand through Anne's hair.

Lucy still didn't say anything when Anne lowered her ear to Lucy's chest, listening to her heartbeat that seemed a little off to the freckled woman; it was faster than what was considered normal, but just as soothing as the hand that ran through her hair.

Anne fell asleep long before Lucy, to the sound of the younger girls now steady heartbeat.

* * *

><p>Weeks passed, but they never mentioned that night again once.<p>

The next morning, Anne had woken up feeling better than the previous night, warm, and pressed against a sleeping Lucy.

(She had been too caught up on how stunning and peaceful Lucy looked while she slept to think of any negative thoughts.)

After Lucy had woken up, Anne had taken Lucy to a little diner a few blocks from her apartment that she, Sabo, and their friends Marco and Thatch discovered a week or two after moving in for a late brunch. The only mention of the previous night had been of Lucy's grandfather when they were going their separate ways later in the day; Lucy to her friend Vivi's house and Anne to the gang.

Anne appreciated it and she thought it made her fall in love with Lucy a little more.

The feelings she had for Lucy continued to grow and grow. When she slept, ate, did laundry, anything she did started to make her think of Lucy.

But, she couldn't have her.

Especially not after Lucy had admitted to Anne that she was in love with another girl.

No matter how much it hurt, Anne couldn't and wouldn't tell Lucy.

That didn't stop Anne from wishing that she could be in whoever and caught Lucy's heart's place.

Which only made her feel worse, something Sabo realized. Her brother didn't need to hear anything anymore; he already understood better than anybody. Anne was grateful to him, too.

* * *

><p>One day in the middle of March, Lucy came to school with her long tresses of hair chopped off and her black hair framing her face in a small bob.<p>

Anne learned later that day that Lucy's living situation was much worse than previously thought.

When Lucy called her name and jumped on her in one of her daily hugs, Anne expected to be hit by waves of hair like she had been nearly ever morning for the past seven months. But no, most of Lucy's thick, long hair was gone.

Anne was shocked for a few good seconds, only snapping out of it when the younger teen started speaking.

"Ah! Oh yeah… I got my hair cut yesterday. Do you like it?" Lucy asked the last sentence almost shyly and Anne felt her heart beat a faster than it already had been; a regular side effect of being with Lucy.

"You look… You look beautiful." Anne said, reaching out and tucking a stray strand behind Lucy's ear. And it was true; Lucy looked gorgeous like always. The short strands of hair framed her round cheeks almost perfectly. She didn't miss the way Lucy's cheeks flushed and could steadily feel her own flush. "It looks really great on you. Why did you cut it though?"

Lucy hummed and looked a little uncomfortable. Her next words came a little slower than usual and her eyes darted to the floor and Anne automatically knew that it wasn't the complete truth. "I thought it would be a…nice change."

It was weird to see Lucy so uncomfortable, but Anne didn't press. Lucy never pressed with her with the things Anne didn't want to talk about and Anne wasn't going to start doing that.

But, the freckled teen couldn't help notice that the half-lie wasn't the only weird thing.

Being the middle of spring, it was getting rather warm. Lucy wore a large baggy sweater that was more fitting for winter than spring. And not only that, her left cheek was swollen, as if she had been punched. Anne hadn't heard anything about a fight; from rumors around school or from Lucy herself.

Lucy noticed that Anne was in thought and stood up on her tiptoes to whisper in the older girls ear.

"I'll tell you after school. Can we go to that diner again, just you and me?"

"Of course, my treat." Anne whispered back before Lucy pulled away and smiled her usual stunning smile at Anne. Then the younger teens attention was drawn elsewhere, namely Sabo, who walked up behind the two girls.

"I like your hair Lu." Sabo said, ruffling said hair, causing the younger teen to giggle and playfully swatted at the older teens hand.

The three fell into an easy conversation, but when Sabo looked up to tell Anne something, the older girl could tell that Sabo had been able to tell something was wrong with Lucy too.

* * *

><p>After the final bell rang, Anne found herself walking arm in arm with Lucy, who was explaining a story that had gone around the school earlier that day about something her green haired friends had done.<p>

"-and then Meo slipped and fell on Zoro! Zoro's entire head was covered in pasta sauce and salad! Sanji wouldn't stop laughing! And, and Zoro turned really, really red! He looked like a tomato, shishishi! Meo tried to look like he wasn't scared, but he totally was! Then Zoro was like-" here was where Lucy's voice grew deeper, her eyebrows knitted together, and her lips thinned; a spot on impression of the green haired teen. "'Bartolomeo, you have five seconds to run before I kill you. Without my swords.' I never saw Meo run so fast, shishishi!"

Anne laughed along on the walk from the diner to Anne's apartment. Despite her laughter, her stomach stirred with inner turmoil.

The feeling had been there all day; ever since she had first seen Lucy with her new hair. Her gut told her that something bad had happened.

Soon, they were at the apartment, facing each other on the couch, sitting with their legs crossed.

Lucy looked almost nervous as she grabbed her sweater by the hem and pulled it over her head, throwing it on her lap.

It was automatically obvious why Lucy had worn the bulky sweater.

She had finger shaped bruises pressed into her skin and, matched with her swollen cheek, it wasn't hard to guess what happened. It looked as if Lucy had gotten into a violent fight and had lost.

"What happened?" Anne whispered, reaching out and gently brushing her fingers around a finger shaped bruised. The one she traced on Lucy's arm was one of many. Upon closer inspection, Lucy had a series of tiny purple bruises on the side of her neck. Anne felt disbelief well up inside of her as she reached over to lightly brush a bruise on her neck.

"Grandpa got angry." she said in a whisper so tiny that Anne almost didn't hear it. While she talked, she reached over and grabbed the hand that traced a bruise on her arm.

Anne felt pure anger and hatred bubble within her. Lucy's hand in hers was the only thing keeping her from marching off and kicking that old man's ass until there was no ass left for her to kick. "Did… Did he choke you?"

Lucy fidgeted, looking unsure and careful. It was so strange to see her acting like so, but Anne couldn't blame her one bit.

"Well… He held me to the wall by my throat, but he didn't choke me."

Anne ground her teeth together, seething at this point. _How fucking dare he?_ "Your… Your hair?" She was so angry she could barely speak.

"After he let go of me, he grabbed my hair really hard to make sure I didn't run away, but I saw a pair of scissors. It was either I stayed with my grandpa… Or I cut my hair and broke free." Lucy flicked a little piece of black hair out of her eyes.

"I see." Anne let go of Lucy's hand, stood from the couch, and began to stalk off.

Something that Lucy clearly didn't expect or like.

"Wait, Anne?! Where are you going?!" Lucy asked, running after the older girl.

"I'm going to find your grandfather and I am going to fucking kill him." Anne growled out, eyebrows set in a determined scowl.

Nothing could stop her, except for well… Lucy.

"Anne, no please! Don't go! I don't want you to have to do that. He's strong, I don't want you to get hurt." Lucy said, gripping both of the nineteen year old's wrists. "I didn't tell you so you could go find him, Anne. I told you because-!" The fifteen year old's mouth snapped shut before she could blabber.

Anne set her jaw and exhaled deeply, her shoulders shaking. She didn't even think of asking Lucy to continue what she had said. Slowly, she pulled one of her wrists away from Lucy's surprisingly harsh grip.

Turning around to face the smaller teen, Anne took a moment before she cupped Lucy's unharmed right cheek in her hand, her thumb gently caressing the soft, smooth skin.

"I just… I don't want you to have to live like that. Lu, you… You really shouldn't live like that! I don't want to see you hurt. I hate seeing you hurt, Lucy."

Lucy leaned into Anne's hand, her eyes closed. She placed her own free hand on top of Anne's. They didn't move, just standing still in each others company. Time passed; maybe seconds, or minutes, or even hours.

It was Lucy who broke the silence with a single word.

"Please."

Swallowing the lump in her throat was more difficult than Anne had ever remembered in the past and her insides twist unpleasantly. But she lowered her hand from Lucy's cheek, her other wrist still being held by Lucy.

She didn't realize it at first, but Anne wasted no time wrapping Lucy's hand in her own.

Anne pulled Lucy into her chest and held her close, her eyes still burning with anger as Lucy wrapped her arms around the older teen.

* * *

><p>Lucy stayed with Anne and Sabo until Monday. The younger teen had told them that her grandfather was leaving early Monday morning and both siblings insisted that she stay until they were all sure that Lucy's grandfather had gone.<p>

Since that morning, however, Anne had other things on her mind.

"No ones home." Lucy said walking back to Anne who escorted her home. "Do you wanna hang out for a bit?"

Anne ruffled the younger teens hair. "Spend more time with you? I'd love too."

Lucy smiled sweetly and took Anne by the hand, leading her upstairs.

"Pretty big house. You sure it's just you and your gramps living here?" Anne asked as they entered a pretty long looking hallway.

"Yep. He's not here a lot though, so it's mainly just me." Lucy shrugged. "It gets kind of lonely."

"I bet." Anne said, uneasy and not liking the thought of Lucy being all alone. She understood perfectly that the younger teen was afraid of being lonely.

Lucy's room was pretty big, with red and blue walls and a large bed in the center of the room. It was predictably messy, with clothes and trash strewn everyone, but Anne liked it. Out of everything she had seen so far in the house this was the only place that actually felt lived in.

Lucy guided Anne to her bed and the girls sat down next to each other, both reluctant to let go of the other's hand.

"When is your grandpa coming back?"

Lucy shrugged. "Dunno, probably a few months though like always."

"He just leaves you here by yourself?"

"Yeah. I don't like being alone, but my friends let me sleep over sometimes."

"About that... Me and Sabo, we talked this morning." Anne whispered, looking down at Lucy's hand in hers. "We figured that the only way for you to get away from him was if you moved out."

"Move out? Where would I go?" Lucy asked, confused.

Anne swallowed and looked up so she met Lucy's eyes. "Well, I know this is sudden but we wanted to know if you maybe... wanted to move in with us?

"Move in with you guys?" Lucy repeated, sounding a bit distant.

"Y-yeah. I mean, y'know how the two of us have been looking for new apartments?" Lucy nodded. Since last year, Whitebeard - the man who had watched over Anne and Sabo after their mother passed - insisted that they move out into a bigger place. In the middle of February, they agreed and had been looking for places a little closer to the local college. "We found one. It has three rooms and we'd love for you to have the third one."

Lucy's blue eyes were wide as she stared at Anne. "Really?"

"Of course." Anne said without a hint of hesitation. "You're important to me- and Sabo." She quickly fixed her slip. "Do you... Do you wanna? You don't have to tell me right now-"

"YES!" Lucy yelled, throwing her arms around Anne. "Of course I would! I'd love that! When do we move?"

Anne laughed and hugged Lucy. "We've gotta settle some stuff, but probably next month."

Both girls were quiet for minute or two before Lucy backed up just a bit and smiled at Anne in obvious affection, now whispering. "You're... you're the best! Thank you!"

Anne gulped slightly, one of hands moving to cup Lucy's cheek. "It's no problem... I'm glad."

"So am I." Lucy whispered, leaning in a bit.

Warning signs began to flash in Anne's mind as soon as felt Lucy's warm breath across her lips, not realizing that they had unconsciously been getting closer to each other as they spoke.

Before Anne could stop herself, her lips were moving softly on Lucy's.

Not were they on Lucy's, but Lucy was kissing her back.

It was unlike any other kiss Anne had ever had before. Lucy's soft, plump lips felt absolutely perfect on hers. It was unbelievably cliche, but sparks flew as their lips kissed.

The kiss seemed to last for an eternity. Anne wished it lasted for an eternity, because in reality only a few seconds had passed.

Anne leaned her forehead against Lucy's, her cheeks flushing bright red. Words could would not be able to do any justice to the elation she felt or the way her heart jumped in her chest. She was pleased to see that Lucy's cheeks were just as bright as her's probably were. A minute after their lips parted, a thought hit Anne and she took both of Lucy's cheeks into her hands.

"Lu...The other day, when we were talking about your grandpa... You were going to say something to me, but you didn't. What were you going to say?" Anne whispered, her forehead still against Lucy's.

The fifteen year old swallowed and looked down before her stunning blue eyes turned back to Anne, her lips curving up almost nervously. "I... I was gonna say that I was telling you because I trust you and..."

"And?"

"I love you." Lucy whispered a moment later, her voice was quiet but the sincerity washed throughout Anne. The older teen bit back a shudder and crashed her lips against Lucy's once more.

Sparks continued to fly, indescribable warmth filling both teenagers as Anne kissed Lucy hard with increasing passion.

At some point they ended up laying horizontal on the bed. Arms tangled together, fingers exploring and brushing with an innocence one wouldn't expect, lips melding together until they had to break for air.

After gasping for a short breath, Anne pressed her lips to both of Lucy's cheeks, the corner of her lips, her nose, her forehead, her neck. With every kiss she drowned Lucy in, she whispered sweet nothings against her soft skin, before reaching her lips again.

"I love you, too." Anne whispered again Lucy's slightly swollen, pink lips. "I love you so much."

Lucy chuckle sounded a bit watery as she wrapped her arms around Anne's neck and pressed their lips together once more, far too brief for either girl, before parting.

"I can't believe how dumb we are." Anne said, a bit breathless from the kisses. "We've liked each other this whole time!"

Lucy giggled and snuggled up to Anne, burying her face in the others neck. Anne grinned when she felt soft lips kiss her neck.

"Does this mean we're girlfriends now?" Lucy asked a second later, her breath tickling Anne's skin.

The nineteen year old sat up and caught Lucy's chin in-between her long fingers.

"I sure hope so." Anne whispered huskily.

Lucy grinned like the cat who caught the canary and wrapped her arms around Anne's neck.

"Good! Because I really, really want to be your girlfriend!"

Smiling, Anne tucked a stray piece of black hair behind Lucy's ear.

"I'm all yours." Anne kissed Lucy quickly, before standing up and rushing out of the room with a Cheshire grin on her face. "C'mon, let's go celebrate."

The younger teen to pouted after the quick kiss before she rushed out of the room after her now girlfriend. Lucy slammed the door behind her as she understood something important:

There would be plenty of time for more kisses later.


End file.
